Door construction for railway cars



' y 9, 1931. J. E. LINDEMAN 1,806,401

DOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 12. 1 29- 2 Sheets-Sheet 5 2 7 wi gz y 1931. J. E. LINDEMAN 1,806,401

DOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W I I Patented May 19, 1931 UNITED STATES ,PATENT OFFICE um E. mm, 0] CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 W. H. MINER, INC 0] CHIOAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE DOOR CONSTRUCTION FORBAILWA Y CARS Application filed September 12, 1929. Serial 170. 392,020.

This invention relates to improvements in door construction for railway cars, especially cars of the automobile type, and means for operating and locking the doors.

In railway car construction, a great many box cars and especially cars of the automobile type are rovided with doors which also form the en walls of the car, two hinged doors being usually employed which are locked in closed position by a pluralitly1 of locking devices. In the form of 100 'ng means referred to, a well known arrangement comprises two combined operating and locking mechanisms and 'an additional locking means, one of the combined operating and locking means being mounted on each door, near the inner edge thereof and cooperating with keepers on the door frame and the additional locking means being mounted on one of the doors closely adjacent the inner ed e. Thus, three separate and distinct locking e vices are employed, thereby greatlg multiplying the cost of construction. T e employment of a plurality of locking devices has been considered necessary on the theory that a single device is not of sufiicient strength to withstand the strain to which the doors forming the end Wall of the car are subjected and further that a single locking bar does not form a substantial bracing means.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide an end door construction of adequate strength and a single, unitary, combined operating locking arrangement therefor, so designed asto effectively hold the doors closed and thoroughly brace the same, thereby doing awa with the use of a plurality of operating an locking devices, with resultant great reduction in cost of manufacture and assembling.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an end door construction for railway cars of the character indicated and combined operating and locking means for the doors of simple design, which effectively holds the doors closed and properly braces the same, wherein the meeting edges of the doors are beveled so that one of the doors is held closed by the other and wherein a single combined operating'and locking device cooperates with the last named door to lock the same in closed position and also brace the doors along the inner vertical edges.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door construction and combined operating and locking means therefor of the character described in the receding paragraph, wherein the combined operating and locking means is of the rotary type, including a bar or shaft having crank means at the top and bottom ends thereof cooperating with keepers on the door frame, the bar being of H or I beam formation with the web thereof, when the door is locked in closed position disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the car so as to withstand the relatively heav end thrusts to which the doors are subjecte Yet another object of the invention is to provide an end door construction for cars including a pair of hinged, transversely disposed doors and bracing means therefor comprising a combined operating and locking means including a rotary operating bar of rugged design extending along the inner edge of one of the doors and having a hearing or abutment surface of relatively large area brought into engagement with abutment means on one of the doors when the doors are locked in closed position to brace the doors between the top and bottom thereof to prevent bulging and distortion of the same.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a railway car of the automobile type, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith, the car structure being partly broken away and the truck and associated parts being omitted in this view. Figure 2 is a horizontal, transverse sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Figure 1. igure 3 is a vertical, sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 33 of Figure 1. And Figure 4 is a transverse, horizontal sectional view of the operating and locking means and associated parts, corresponding substantially to the line 44 of Figure 1, said view being on an enlarged scale.

In said drawings, the body of the car is designated generally by the character 10. The car body is provided with the usual end sill 11 having the striking casting 12 secured thereto. The coupler and associated parts of the car are not illustrated in the drawings. The roof of the car is designated by 13, the same being provided with the usual, longitudinally extending running board 14. At the top, the end of the car is reinforced by a transversely extending hollow steel beam 15 which forms the top member of the door frame. The threshold of the door is indicated by 16 and comprises the usual heavy, wooden beam member extending across the car, covered 0 by a metal sheathing plate 17. The car flooring is of the usual type and is indicated by 18. In carrying out my invention, I provide a pair of swinging doors 19 and 20 which are hinged at their vertical outer edges to the side wall members of the car, the same being supported by a plurality of strap hinge members 21-21. As shown, the doors are of that type which have sheet metal panel members on the outer sides which are preferably corrugated transversely as shown, to reinforce the door structure, Although doors provided with metal panels are herein shown, it will be evident that my invention is not limited thereto and that doors made of wood or other material may be employed. The frame work of each door comprises vertically extending beam members 22,22 along the inner and outer edges of each door and horizontally disposed, transverse top and bottom beam members 2323 connecting the beam members 22. On the inner side, each door is provided with a panel memb er 24 which may be secured to the beams 22 and 23 in any suitable manner. The top and bottom beam members are preferably covered by the protecting metal sheathing'25-25, as shown.

As most clearly illustrated in Figure 2, the inner edges of the doors 19 and 20 are so designed that they overlap, whereby one of the doors is held in closed position by the other. The door 19 is provided with a vertically extending Z-bar member 26 along the. inner vertical edge thereof, the Z-bar having an inner flange which extends transversely and bears on the inner vertical face of the corresponding frame member 22, an intermediate section which bears on the side face of said member 22 and an outer flange extending parallel to the plane of the door and secured to the inner side of the panel plate of the door 19, which plateoverlaps the member 22, the outer flange of the Z-bar 26, and projects laterally beyond the vertical edge of the latter. The outer flange of the Z-bar 26 may be secured to the panel plate in any suitable manner and is preferably riveted thereto. A vertically extending channel-like beam member 27 is secured to the inner side of the outer flange of the Z-bar 26. This channel member has inner and outer spaced vertically extending sections 28 and 29 which are disposed in planes parallel to the plane of the door 19, and a connecting web section 30 which is transversely inclined with respect to the door 19, thereby providing a beveled inner edge face for said door. The channel beam 27 is preferably riveted to the inner side of the Z-bar 26. As most clearly shown in Figure 2, the vertical frame member 22 at the inner edge of the door 20'is wider than the corresponding member 22 of the other door and has a beveled inner edge 31. The inner edge of the door 20 along the frame member 22 is provided with a Z-bar member 32, having the outer flange thereof secured to the inner side of the metal panel plate of the door 20 and the inner flange so disposed as to overlap the inner flange of the channel beam 27 when the doorsare closed, and a transverse connecting section abutting the beveled face 32 of the frame member 22. The intermediate web section referred to forms a beveled edge portion for the inner side of. the door which cooperates with the bevel edge of the door 19, whereby the door 20 is held in closed position by the door 19.

Door keepers 33 and 34 are provided on the car body adjacent the top and bottom of the doors 19 and 20, as clearly shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4. The keeper 33 is in the form of a relativel heavy casting secured to the transverse beam member 15 at the end of the car, the same being preferably riveted thercto as indicated in Figure 1. The keeper 33 is provided with a camway or locking guideway 35 which is inclined with respect to the plane of the car end. The keeper 34 at the bottom of the doors is preferably formed integral with the casting 12 and as shown is also provided with a locking cam, groove or guideway 35 similar to the locking groove or guideway of the keeper 33 hereinbefore described.

The combined operating and locking mechanism proper of my improved construction is in the form of a rotatable shaft or beam 36 mounted on the door 19 adjacent the vertical inner edge thereof. The shaft 36 comprises a central beam member 37 having crank members 3838 fixed to the top and bottom ends thereof. Each of the crank members comprises a journaled portion 39, and an offset crank portion 40 at the outer end of the same. The journaled portion 39 of each keeper-engaging member is journaled in a bearing bracket 41 secured to the door 19, one of the brackets being secured to said door adjacent the lower edge thereof and the other adjacent the upper edge. The brackets 41 are preferably provided with laterally extending flanges by which the same are secured to the door member, the same being herein shown as riveted thereto. The crank portions 40 are adapted to engage within the cam grooves of the keepers 33 and 34 when the operating shaft is rotated so as to pull the door closed when rotated in one direction and force the same open when rotated in the reverse direction. The member 37 is broadly in the form of an H beam having vertically extending spaced flanges 42 and 43 and a transverse, vertically extending connecting web 44. As shown, the keeper-engaging members 38 are directly secured to the web 44 of the beam member 36, each keeper-engaging member being provided with a bifurcated inner end portion 45, the arms of which straddle and embrace the web 44 of the beam and are riveted thereto by rivet members extending through the arms of the web of the beam. The outer flange member 43 of the beam, as illustrated in the drawings, comprises oppositely extending straight flange sections 46-46 and the inner flange 42 of said beam comprises a flange section 47 extending parallel to the corresponding flange section 46 of the flange 43 and a transversely curved flange section 48 projecting in the opposite direction from the web 44. The bearing portions of the keeperengaging crank members 38 are offset with respect to the center line of the beam 37 as clearly indicated in Figures 3 and 4, so that the beam 37 will be rotated about an eccentric axis. The transversely curved flange member 48 is curved on such an are that the same will clear the outer face of the door 19 when the shaft is rotated.

Midway between the top and bottom of the door 19, an abutment member 49 is provided, the same being in the form of a casting secured to the outer face or surface of the metal panel of the door 19. The casting 49 has a flat outer surface 50 at the end thereof adjacent the inner edge of the door and a curved surface 51 forming a continuation of the surface 50. The surfaces 50 and 51 are complementary to the outer surface portions of the flange sections 47 and 48 of the flange 42 of the beam 37 so that when the operating shaft is rotated to the position shown in Figures 2 and 4, both the flat and curved surfaces of the flange 42 will have full bearing engagement with the corresponding flat and curved surface portions 50 and 51 of the casting 49. At the outer end of the curved surface portion 51, the casting 49 is provided with an overhanging stop flan e or lip 52 which is adapted to be engaged by the outer vertical edge of the flange section 48 of the flange 42 to positively limit rotation of the operating shaft. In order to permit free rotation of the operating shaft to the required extent, the flange section 46 of the flange 43 of the beam 37 has a portion thereof ofl'set as indicated at'53 to clear the projecting por tions of the casting 49.

The shaft is provided with an operating handle or lever member 54 which is swiveled to the beam 37 so as to provide swinging movement of the lever 54 in a vertical direction. As shown, a casting 55 is riveted to the web 44 of the beam 37, and this casting is provided with a pivot bearing portion 56 on which the handle member is pivoted, the inner end of the member 54 being connected to the bracket 55 by a horizontally disposed pivot pin.

In order to seal the locking mechanism in closed position, the door 20 is provided with the usual car seal carrying means which cooperates with the lever 54. In the present instance, the locking sealing means as shown in the form of a projecting lug 57 secured to the door 20, which lug engages through an opening provided at the outer end of the operating lever 54 and is adapted to receive the usual car seal member through an opening 58 provided at the outer end of said lug.

In opening the doors 19 and 20, the handle or operating lever 54 is pulled outwardly away from the end of the car, thereby rotating the operating shaft in a right hand or clockwise direction as viewed in Figures 2 and 4.

Rotation of the shaft in this direction effects a corresponding rotation of the crank members of the keeper-engaging means, which in cooperating with the keeper slots of the members 33 and 34 cams the door 19 outwardly. When the operating shaft has been rotated to the limit of its movement, the door 19 will be freed to a suflicient extent that the same may be readily fully opened. The door 20 may then also be swung to fully opened position.

In closing the doors, the door 20 is first swung inwardly to the closed position shown in Figure 2 and the door 19 is then brought to partly closed position. The operating lever 54 is then rotated so as to engage the crank portions of the keeper-engaging members with the keeper members and move the same along the cam grooves or guideways of the same, thereby forcing the door19 inwardly to the fully closed position shown in Figure 2. As the operating shaft is rotated, the flange 42 of the beam 36 will be moved toward the door 19, the curved flange section 48 clearing the facg of the door while the shaft is rotated, the flat face portion of the flange 42 finally being brought into full surface contact with the flat outer surface 50 of the bracket 49. At the same time, the curved flange section 48 will be seated on the curved surface 51 of said casting. In order to limit the rotation of the operating shaft when the mechanism is in door locking position, the parts are so proportioned that the outer edge of the flange section 48 will engage the limiting flange or lip 52 of the casting 49.

As will be evident, by providing the beam construction of operating and locking mechanism, which has a vertical web member substantially parallel to the length of the car, not only the locking .means itself is reinforced against pressure exerted lengthwise and outwardly of the car, but the door is adequately braced thereby, especially between the top and bottom ends thereof. By providing the locking means having the H beam construction, thereby providing the reinforcing web, the same alone is of sufficient strength and rigidity to hold the door closed and prevent bulging or distortion of the same, thereby making it unnecessary to provide a plurality of locking and operating means with resultant great saving in cost of labor and material.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that. come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a door construction for railway cars having a door frame member and a hinged door cooperating therewith, the combination with keeper means on the door frame; of rotary locking means mounted on said door having keeper-engaging means thereon, said rotary means including arotatably supported shaft extending lengthwise of the free edge of the door, said shaft having a relatively wide abutment surface thereon engageable with cooperating abutment means on the door, when said shaft is in door locking position, to brace the door between the top and bottom thereof.

2. In a combined door operating and looking means for railway cars provided with a door supporting member, having a door opening and a door for closing said opening, said door being hinged along one edge, the combination with a shaft rotatably mounted on the door adjacent the free edge thereof,

' said shaft being in the form of a beam having a vertically extending web and transverse flange members along opposite vertical edges of said web; keeper means on the door supporting member; keeper-engaging means rigid with the shaft; and stop means for arresting rotation of the shaft at the time that the keeper-engaging means is engaged with the keeper means, said stop means limiting rotation of the shaft when said shaft is in door-locking position with the web thereof disposed at right angles to the plane of the door to brace said operating shaft against strains normal to the plane of the door.

7 3. In a combined door operating and looking means for railway cars having a swinging door hinged along one edge, the combination with a rotary operating member mounted on the door and extending lengthwise of the free edge of the same; keeper means fixed to the car; keeper-engaging means rigid with the operating member, said operating member being in the form of a lengthwise of the same, said web being disposed in a plane transverse of the door when the operating member is rotated to the limit of its movement in locking the door.

4. In a door locking mechanism for railway cars provided with a door frame member and a cooperating swinging door member hinged along one edge, the combination with a rotary operating shaft mounted on one of said members and extending lengthwise of the free edge of the door member; of keeper means mounted on the other member; keeperengaging means ri 'd with the shaft, said shaft being in the fldrm of a beam having a pair of relatively wide flanges and a connecting web transverse of said flanges, said web and flanges extending lengthwise of the free edge of the door member, one of said flanges presenting an abutment surface adapted to be brought into bearing contact with a portion of said door member when the shaft is.

rotated to a position to lock said door.

5. In a door operating and locking mechanism for railway cars provided with a door frame member and a cooperating swinging door member hinged along one edge, the combination with a rotary operating shaft mounted along the free edge of the door; of keeper means on the door frame member; keeper-engaging means rigid with the shaft, said shaft having a flat abutment surface thereon extending lengthwise of the shaft and brought into flat faced engagement with the door between the top and bottom edges thereof when said shaft is rotated to door locking position to brace the door adjacent the free edge.

6. In a door operating and locking mechanism for railway cars provided with a door frame member and a cooperating swinging door member hinged along one edge, the combination with a rotary operating shaft mounted along the free edge of the door; of keeper means on the door frame member; and

keeper-engaging means rigid with the shaft,

said shaft being in the form of a beam having spaced flanges and a transverse connecting web, said flanges and web extending lengthwise of the shaft and one of said flanges being brought into bearing engagement with the outer side of the door when said shaft is rotated to door locking position to brace the door against outward bulging.

7. In an end door construction for railway cars, the combination with a pair of doors hinged to the car body at their outer edges and having overlapping inner edge portions whereby the door last closed maintains the other door in closed position, said doors being disposed transversely of the car when closed and forming an end wall for the same; of rotary locking means on the door last closed; keeper means on the car body cooperating with said locking means, said locking means including a member adjacent the inner edge keeper means on the car bod ing web and transversel of the door and extending lengthwise of said edge havin bearing engagement with the outer side 0 the door when the locking means is rotated to door locking osition to brace the door between the top an bottom thereof.

8. In an end doorvconstruction for railway cars, the combination with a pair of doors hinged to the car body at their outer edges andhaving overlapping inner edge portions, whereby the door last closed maintains the other door in closed position, said doors being disposed transversely of the car when closed and forming an end wall for the same; of rotary locking means on the door last closed; keeper means on the car body cooperating with said locking means, said locking means including a member adjacent the inner edge of the door and extending lengthwise of said edge, said member having a ange extending lengthwise thereof engageable with the outer side of said door between the top and bottom thereof when said shaft is rotated to the door locking position to brace the door, said member also including a reinforcing web extending lengthwise of the same and in a plane transverse to the flange to brace the latter.

9. In an end door construction for railway cars, the combination with a pair of doors hinged to the car body at their outer edges and having overlapping inner edge portions, whereby the door last closed maintains the other door in closed position, said doors being disposed transversely of the car when closed and forming an end wall for the same; of rotary locking means on the door last closed; cooperating with said locking means, said ocking means including a member adjacent the inner edge of the door and extending lengthwise of sald edge, said member having a vertically extend disposed flanges at the opposite vertical e ges of the web extending in opposite directions therefrom, one of said flanges having a flat surface portion and a curved surface portion forming a continuation of said flat surface portion; and abutment means on the door having complementary abutment surface portions adapted to be engaged respectively by said flat and curved surface portions of the flange when said member is in door locking position to brace the door.

10. In an end door construction for railwa cars, the combination with a pair of swinging door members hin ed to the car bod along the outer ed es t ereof and exten ing transversely of t e car when closed to form an end wall structure, one of said doors being held in closed position by the other door; of keeper means on the car; combined operating and locking means on the last named door havin keeper engaging means thereon, said com ined means mcluding a shaft member rotatably mounted adjacent the free edge of said last named door and extending lengthwise of the same, said shaft member being in the form of a beam having a flange presentin a flat surface ortion adapted to bear on the outer side 0 the door when the combined means is in door locking position and a reinforcing web extending lengthwise of said flange, said web being disposed in a lane parallel to the length of the car to race said flange and door against bulging.

11. A door locking bar comprisin an elongated web member having opposite y extending flange sections along one longitudinal edge thereof, one of said flange sections having a fiat outer surface and the other havin a transversely curved outer surface, said atand curved surfaces being ada ted to cooperate with abutment means of a cor, and offset keeper-engagin means at the opposite ends of said locking ar.

. 12. In an end door construction for railway cars, the combination with a pair of doors hinged at their outer edges to the car body and extending transversel of the car when closed; of a locking mem er dis osed along the inner edge of one of said oors, said locking member being rotatably supported on said door adjacent the top and hottom'ends thereof, said lockin member being in the form of a beam having longitudinally extending, spaced flanges and a transverse connecting web, said flanges and web extending lengthwise of the beam, one of said flanges comprlsing sections projecting on opposite sides of the web, one of said flange sections being disposed at right angles to the web and the other flange section being curved transversely, said locking member having keeper-engaging means at the top and bottom ends thereof cooperating with keeper-engaging means on the car body; and an abutment member fixed to the door on which the locking member is mounted, said abutment member having a curved abutment surface engageable with said curved flange section, and a flat abutment surface parallel to the outer face of the door engageable with said right angular flange sectlon, when said locking member is in door locking position.

13. In an end door construction for railway cars, the combination with a pair of swlnging door members hinged to the car body along the outer edges and extending transversely of the car when closed to form an end wall structure; of a 2 bar member secured to the inner vertical edge of one of said doors and having a transversely inclined connecting web portion, forming a beveled edge for said door; and a channel bar secured to the inner edge of the other door and having a transverse web forming a bevel ed e face for said door adapted to en a e the bevel edge face of the other door to o dthe latter closed; and rotary operating means mounted on the door last closed for forcing the same to closed position and also locking the same in said position.

14. In a device of the character described, the combination with a railway car body having a door opening and a pivoted door structure closing said opening, said .door structure, when closed, being secured to the car body along its spaced vertical edges, the 10 door structure being subject to greatest bending moments midway between said vertical edges; of means for locking and bracing said door structure when closed, said means including: an operating shaft rotatable about a vertically extending axis located opposite substantially the vertical center line of the door structure, fixed keeper means on the car body above and below the door structure and cooperable with the upper and lower ends of said shaft whereby the latter is rigidly held at its top and bottom ends, said shaft having bearing engagement with the door structure intermediate the top and bottom edges of the door structure when said means are in operative position, said shaft being of such section that, when in operative position, the greatest resistance against bending from forces exerted horizontally thereagainst, is afforded in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door structure.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th day of August, 1929.

JAMES E. LINDEMAN. 

